Applicator for coating filaments



April 5, 1966 w. H. EWING APPLICATOR FOR COATING FILAMENTS 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 14 1962 ATTORNEYS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 POOL LEVELm6 mw m WW m M H r m T M v M A MM April 5, 1966 Filed NOV. 14 1962 40 26MwwW ww 2 l an 0 7/ :ml MW WM M 8 y e. r 4 t). Q 5 0 M w 5 1/. F

United States Patent 3,244,143 APPLICATOR FQR QOATING FILAMENTS WiiiiamH. Ewing, Newark, Ohio, assignor to Owens- (Iorning Fihergl'asCorporation, a'corporation of Delaalifi Filed Nov. 14, 1862, Ser. No.237,687 4 Claims. (Cl. 118-262) This invention relates to an applicatorfor coating filaments and particularly for coating glass filamentsduring a forming operation,

Applying a coating material to filaments during a forming operation issomewhat difiicult, and if not done properly will cause the filaments tobreak. If one or more of the filaments break, the forming operation isinterrupted and the filaments must be restarted from the bushing. Thisis a time consuming operation and results in substantial lost productiontime. In addition, the package of strand being formed when the break-outoccurred must be disposed of or used for a lesser purpose than that forwhich it was intended. Filament breaks often result bceause part of theapplicator which the fila ments contact becomes dry. This might becaused, for

example, by an irregular or insufficient fiow of the coating material tothat part of the applicator. If the coating material flow isinsufficient to even a minute part of the applicator for a short periodof time, that part may become dry and a break-out result. Manyapplicators are known in the art for applying coating material tofilaments but they have all had one or more deficiencies and, inparticular, have caused an excessive number of break-outs.

The present invention relates to an improved coating material applicatorfor applying a size or other coating to filaments shortly after they areformed. i The new applicator supplies coating material in such a mannerthat dry portions very seldom, if ever, occuron that part of theapplicator which the filaments contact. -The new applicator alsoagitates the coating material shortly before it is supplied to theportion contacted by the filaments and thereby both mixes the materialand eliminates any lumps formed therein. In addition, the applicator canbe easily disassembled for cleaning, which has heretofore been adifiicult task.

It is, therefore, a principal object of the present invention to providean improved applicator for applying coating material to filaments withfewer break-outs.

Another object of the invention is to provide a coating materialapplicator which can be cleaned easily.

Many other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent fromthe following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof,reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a somewhat schematic front view in elevation of apparatus-forforming filaments, coating the filaments in accordance with theinvention, and gathering the filaments into astrand; v

FIG. 2 is a somewhat schematic side view in elevation of the apparatusshown in FIG. 1; J

FIG. 3 is an enlarged front view in j elevation of the coating materialapplicator shown in FIG. 1;

PEG. 4 is a left-end view of the applicator;

FIG. 5 is a right-end view of the applicator;

FIG. 6 is a view in vertical, transverse cross section of theapplicator; and

FIG. 7 is a detailed view in perspective of an element of theapplicator.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to FIG. 1, a bushing 12containing molten glass constitutes a molten glass source from whichfilaments 14 are attenuated through tips 16. The filaments 14 are thenpulled past a coating material applicator 18 embodying the inventionwhich coats them with a size. The size, covering the individualfilaments, holds them together and prevents them from rubbing inglass-to-glass contact with other filaments and causing breakage throughabrasion. The size frequenly is removed in a subsequent operation but insome instances is left permanently on the filaments. After the filamentsare coated, they are collected bya gathering shoe 20 into a strand 24which can be wound around an idler wheel 26 and a pulling wheel 28 whichsupplies the attenuating force. The strand 24 is subsequently ejectedfrom the pulling wheel 28 and formed into a strand package by anysuitable apparatus." Rather than the idler wheel 26 and the pullingwheel 28, the strand can be wound directly on a rotating collet whichthereby forms a package and also provides the attenuating force.

Referring more particularly to FIGS. 3-6, the applicator 18 includesfront and back walls 30 and 32, left and right end walls 34 and 36, anda bottom wall 38. These walls thereby form a receptacle for a pool 40(FIG. 6) of coating material, with the bottom 38 being sloped toward acentral drain opening 42 in which a pipe plug 44 is threadedly engaged.The plug 44 can be un screwed occasionally to drain the receptacle andremove any sediment collected therein, including any short lengths ofbroken filaments which may be deposited from the filament formingoperation.

The rear wall 32 has an inlet 46 through which coating material issupplied and a drain line 48 by means of which coating material isremoved from the applicator, with the position of the-drain line 48 alsodetermining the level of the pool 40. The excess coating material drainsinto a supply tank 49 (FIG. 2) and is supplied to the applicatorl8 by apump 50. A lid 51 is connected to the rear wall 32 by a hinge 52 and hasa front lip 54 extending downwardly to form an elongate opening 56 withthe upper edge of the front wall 30.

A first or supply roll 58 extends substantially across the applicator 18between the side walls 34 and 36 and is immersed in the pool 40 with thelevel of the pool being approximately half way between the lowerextremity of the roll 58 and the axis thereof (FIG. 6). The roll 58 hasa short axle 60 '(FIG. 3) and a drive axle 62 rotatably supported inbushings 64 which are held in first bearing blocks 66. The blocks 66have grooves 68 (FIG. 7) extending longitudinally of the side edgesthereof which receive cooperating ridges 70 of elongate vertical notchesor openings '72 in each of the side walls 34 and 36. With thisarrangement, the supply roll 58 can be removed periodically for cleaningbecause the blocks 68 are slidable with respect to the ridges 76. Theelongate notches 72 are carefully machined in the side walls 34 and 36so that the roll 58 will be accurately located in a predeterminedposition in the applicator whenthe blocks 66 are at the bottom of thenotches. The bushings 64 preferably are of the oilless type, and aremade of a material which is not subject to attack by the sizesordinarily used with the applicator 18. Excellent results have been hadwith a bearing material that is commer cially available under the nameArguto from Arguto Oilless Bearing Company of Philadelphia,Pennsylvania. The roll 58 is spaced from the bearings 64 by suitablespacers 74 (FIG. 3).

I The applicator 18 also includes an intermediate roll 76 which isjournalled above and, in the embodiment shown, vertically above thesupply roll 58, and above the pool 40. The roll 76 has axles 78 and 80which are rotatable in bushings 82 mounted in bearing blocks 84. Theblocks 84 also have grooves 86 cooperating with the ridges 70 of thenotches 72. Each of the blocks 84 has a lower flat end 88 confronting anupper fiat end 90 of the bearing block 66, and spaced slightly therefrom by a shim 92. Ordinarily, the ends 5 0 and 8'3 of the bearingblocks 66 and 84 are formed so that the rolls 58 and 76 are barely incontact when the ends 88 and fit) are abutting. With this arrangement,the spacing between the rolls 53 and 76 then can be simply andaccurately determined because it will be equal to the thickness of theshims 92. The blocks 66 and 34 are firmly held in the notches 72 byT-blocks 93 screwed into the upper edges of the end walls 34 and 36.

A third or applicator roll 94 is located to one side of the intermediateroll '76 with an extremity of the roll 94 being to one side of any partof either the inter- ,mediate roll 76 or the supply roll 58, so that theroll Q4 can contact the filaments 14 without interference. The sameportion of the roll 94 also extends beyond the front wall 30 and the lip54 of the lid 51. The applicator roll 94 has axles 96 and 98 rotatablyheld in bushings 100 which are similar to the bushings 64 and 82. Thebushings 100 are mounted in bearing blocks 102 having grooves 104 whichcooperate with ridges 106 of horizontally-extending notches 1% in theside walls 34 and 36. This enables the roll $4 to be removed forcleaning in the same manner as the rolls 58 and 76. The bearing block102 and the horizontal notches 108 are carefully made so that the :roll94 ordinarily will be in contact will the intermediate roll '76 when thebearing block 102 is inserted into the horizontal notch 108. However, aspacer or shim 116 is located between the block 102 and the end of thenotch so that the spacing between the roll 94 and the intermediate roll76 can be simply and accurately determined by the thickness of the shim110. The blocks 102 are held firmly in the notches 108 by set-screws111.

The removable bearing blocks 68, 84 and 102 enable the applicator 18 tobe cleaned easily since all three of the rolls 58, '76 and 4 can beremoved. This enables the rolls to be cleaned separately and also leavesthe receptacle unobstructed for easy cleaning. The feature also makes iteasier to change from one size to another.

The first roll 58 and the intermediate roll 76 preferably are made ofcold rolled steel and are subsequently chrome plated to provide a smoothsurface. The rolls are also ground and polished to establish aconcentricity within 0.0001 inch. In this manner, a thin, uniformcoating is always assured on the rolls. The applicator roll 94 can beeither chrome plated in a manner similar to the rolls 58 and '76 or canbe made of graphite, as shown, preferably #580 graphite obtainable fromthe Speer Carbon Company of St. Marys, Pennsylvania. Which of these isemployed depends upon the type of size used. For starch-based sizes, theroll 2% is preferably of graphite while for plastic sizes, a chromeplated steel roll is preferred. As to spacing, a distance of 0.0040.030inch is used between the first and second rolls 58 and 76 while adistance of 0002-0015 inch is used between the second and third rolls 76and 94, the latter spacing being more critical with the preferreddistance being 0.004 0.012 inch. \Vhile the spacing will vary fordifferent coating materials and for the amount desired on the filaments,a definite predetermined distance is required in all instances. Theoverall speed of the rolls also affects the amount of material appliedto the filaments.

The long axles 62, 8t and 98 of the three rolls 58, 76 and 94 have gears112, 114 and 116 suitably fastened thereto by setscrews or keys, forexample. The speed of the respective rolls is very important to feed thesize to the applicator roll 94 properly in a quantity which willvirtually assure that dry spots or portions will not occur, and yet notbe excessive. In a specific example, the supply roll 58 is rotated witha peripheral velocity of 69 feet per minute, the intermediate roll 76 isrotated with a peripheral velocity of 84 feet per minute, and theapplicator roll 94 is rotated with a peripheral velocity of 60 feet perminute. The second roll 76 is preferably rotated at a peripheralvelocity from approximately 10 to approxirnately 30 percent in excess ofthe peripheral velocity of the first roll 58. This speed differentialmaintains a pool of the size at the bite of the rolls 58 and 76, asindicated at 118 in FIG. 6. The pool 118 assures that the size carriedfrom the supply pool 4% will be thoroughly mixed and that any lumpstherein will tend to be dissolved. The peripheral velocity of theapplicator roller 94 is from approximately 20 to approximately 35percent less than that of the intermediate roll so that a pool is formedat the bite of these rolls, as indicated at 120 in PEG. 6. In thisinstance, the supply roll 58 is rotating in a counterclockwisedirection, the intermediate roll 76 is rotating in a clockwisedirection, and the applicator roll 94 is rotating in a counterclockwisedirection, as shown by the arrows in FIG. 6, to establish the pools 11Sand 120. If the difference in velocities of the latter two rollers isless than roughly 20 percent, portions of the applicator roll 94 willoccasionally be starved and dry and cause break-outs of the filaments.With a velocity difierence in excess of roughly 35 percent, the pool ofsize will be excessive and will remain for an excessive period of time,whereby the material will be churned and foaming will frequently result.The axle 62 can be driven by a sprocket 122 connected through a chain124 (FIG. 2) to a motor 126.

Various modifications of the above described embodiment of the inventionwill be apparent to those skilled in the art, and it is to be understoodthat such modifications can be made without departing from the scope ofthe invention, if they are within the spirit and the tenor of theaccompanying claims.

I claim:

I1- An applicator for applying coating material to filaments, saidapplicator comprising means forming a receptacle for a pool of coatingmaterial, a first roll positioned to be partly immersed in the pool, asecond roll having an axis above an axis of the first roll, said secondroll being spaced from the pool and spaced from said first roll by apredetermined amount, a third roll having an axis above the axis of saidfirst roll, said third roll spaced from the pool and spaced from saidsecond roll by a predetermined amount, said third roll having a portionlying in a vertical plane which is to one side of all of said first andsecond roll-s, a first gear connected to said first roll, a second gearconnected to said second roll and meshing with said first gear, a thirdgear connected to said third roll and meshing with said second gear,said gears being sized so that said third roll has a peripheral velocityfrom 20 to 35 percent less than that of said second roll and said secondroll has a peripheral velocity from approximately 10 to approximately 30percent in excess of that of said first roll, means for driving one ofsaid gears, and means for circulating coating material through saidreceptacle.

2. An applicator for applying a coating material to filaments, saidapplicator comprising wall means including end walls forming areceptacle for a pool of coating material, said end walls each having afirst upwardly extending elongate opening and a second opening locatedto one side of and extending toward said first opening, a first roll,means for rotatably supporting said first roll in said first opening ofsaid end walls and positioning said first roll to be partly immersed inthe pool, a second roll, second means for rotatably supporting saidsecond roll in said first opening of said end Walls with the axis ofsaid second roll being above said first roll, said second means spacingsaid second roll from said pool and spacing said second roll from saidfirst roll by a predetermined amount, a third roll, third meansrotatably supporting said third roll in said second openings of said endwalls with the axis of said third roll above the axis of said firstroll, said third means spacing said third roll from the pool and spacingsaid third roll from said second roll by a predetermined amount, saidthird means being movable in said second openings to enable said thirdroll to be removed from said applicator in a direction away from saidsecond roll, said third means also positioning said third roll so that aportion lies in a vertical plane which is located to one side of saidfirst and second rolls, and means for driving said first, second, andthird rolls With the peripheral velocity of said third roll being lessthan that of said second roll and with the peripheral velocity of saidsecond roll exceeding that of said first roll.

3. An applicator for applying a coating material to filaments, saidapplicator comprising means including end walls forming a receptacle fora pool of coating material, said end walls having a first pair ofelongate notches and a second pair of notches located to one side of andextending toward said elongate notches, means for establishing a pool ofcoating material of predetermined depth Within said receptacle, a firstroll, a pair of first bearing blocks supporting said first roll forrotation about its longitudinal axis and for partial immersion in thepool of coating material in said receptacle, said first bearing blocksbeing slidably supported in said first pair of elongate notches in saidend walls, a second roll, a pair of second bearing blocks supportingsaid second roll for rotation about its longitudinal axis, with suchaxis above and substantially parallel to the axis of said first roll,and with the periphery of said second roll being spaced from the pooland spaced from the periphery of said first roll by a small,predetermined distance, said second bearing blocks being slidablysupported in the same elongate notches in said end walls as said firstbearing blocks, a third roll, a pair of third bearing blocks supportingsaid third roll for rotation about its longitudinal axis, with such axisabove and substantially parallel to the axis of said first roll, withthe periphery of said third roll above the pool and spaced from theperiphery of said second roll by a small, predetermined distance, andwith a portion of the periphery of the third roll lying to one side ofthe peripheries of said first and second rolls, said third bearingblocks being slidably supported in the second pair of notches in saidend walls, and means for driving said rolls at different peripheralvelocities.

4. An applicator for applying a coating material to filaments, saidapplicator comprising means including end walls forming a receptacle fora pool of coating material, said end walls having a first pair ofvertical, elongate notches and a second pair of notches located to oneside of and extending toward said elongate notches, means forestablishing a pool of coating material of predetermined depth withinsaid receptacle, a first roll, a pair of first bearing blocks supportingsaid first roll for rotation about its longitudinal axis and for partialimmersion in the pool of coating material in said receptacle, said firstbearing blocks being slidably supported in said generally verticalelongate notches in said end walls, a second roll,

a pair of second bearing blocks supporting said second roll for rotationabout its longitudinal axis, with such axis above and substantiallyparallel to the axis of said first rol-l and with the periphery of saidsecond roll being spaced from said pool, said second bearing blocksbeing slidably supported in the same elongate notches in said end wallsas said first bearing blocks, first shims of predetermined thicknesslocated between the hearing blocks of each of said pair to space theperiphery of said first roll from the periphery of said second roll by asmall, predetermined distance, a third roll, a pair of third bearingblocks supporting said third roll for rotation about its longitudinalaxis, with such axis above and substantially parallel to the axis ofsaid first roll, with the periphery of said third roll above the pool,and with a portion of the periphery of the third roll lying to one sideof the peripheries of said first and second rolls, said third bearingblocks being slidably supported in the second pair of notches in saidend walls, second shims located between said third bearing blocks andthe ends of said second pair of notches to space the periphery of saidthird roll from the periphery of said second roll by a smallpredetermined distance, and means for simultaneously driving said rolls.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 194,613 8/1877Morton 118-262 X 1,375,126 4/1921 Willwerscheid 118-262 X 1,402,2881/1922 Fisher.

2,022,484 11/ 1935 Watkins 118-249 2,293,691 8/ 1942 Harrigan 118-2492,329,034 9/1943 Buck et al. 118-262 X 2,331,980 10/1943 Hoifman et al.118-234 2,466,718 4/1949 Lobstein 118-262 X 2,681,636 6/1954 Fridolph118-262 X 2,693,429 11/1954 Radtke et al. 117-111 2,728,972 1/1956Drummond et al. 3,013,527 12/1961 Novick 118-262 FOREIGN PATENTS 198,9068/1958 Austria. 1,250,728 12/1960 France.

829,335 1/ 1952 Germany.

7 03,932 2/ 1954 Great Britain.

OTHER REFERENCES Booth: Modern Plastics, vol. 36, Number 1, September1958, pp. 91-95. (Copy in Scientific Library.)

CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner.

RICHARD D. NEVIUS, Examiner.

1. AN APPLICATOR FOR APPLYING COATING MATERIAL TO FILAMENTS, SAIDAPPLICATOR COMPRISING MEANS FORMING A RECEPTACLE FOR A POOL OF COATINGMATERIAL, A FIRST ROLL POSITIONED TO BE PARTLY IMMERSED IN THE POOL, ASECOND ROLL HAVING AN AXIS ABOVE AN AXIS OF THE FIRST ROLL, SAID SECONDROLL BEING SPACED FROM THE POOL AND SPACED FROM SAID FIRST ROLL BY APREDETERMINED AMOUNT, A THIRD ROLL HAVING AN AXIS ABOVE THE AXIS OF SAIDFIRST ROLL, SAID THIRD ROLL SPACED FROM THE POOL AND SPACED FROM SAIDSECOND ROLL BY A PREDETERMINED AMOUNT, SAID THIRD ROLL HAVING A PORTIONLYING IN A VERTICAL PLANE WHICH IS TO ONE SIDE OF ALL OF SAID FIRST ANDSECOND ROLLS, A FIRST GEAR CONNECTED TO SAID FIRST ROLL, A SECOND GEARCONNECTED TO SAID SECOND ROLL AND MESHING WITH SAID FIRST GEAR, A THIRDGEAR CONNECTED TO SAID THIRD ROLL AND MESHING WITH SAID SECOND GEAR,SAID GEARS BEING SIZED SO THAT SAID THIRD ROLL HAS A PERIPHERAL VELOCITYFROM 20 TO 35 PERCENT LESS THAN THAT OF SAID SECOND ROLL AND SAID SECONDROLL HAS A PERIPHERAL VELOCITY FROM APPROXIMATELY 10 TO APPROXIMATELY 30PERCENT IN EXCESS OF THAT OF SAID FIRST ROLL, MEANS FOR DRIVING ONE OFSAID GEARS, AND MEANS FOR CIRCULATING COATING MATERIAL THROUGH SAIDRECEPTACLE.